Just a few pictures

Here are a few of our pictures from our vacation. It was such a fun time. As it finally feels like summer this week in ND it makes me miss the south and all the fun we had there. I would write more but we are trying to squeeze every once of summer for what it's worth and so that is why I'm so slow on getting pictures on here. Summer just takes priority to blogging these days:)

The ABC's of our vacation 2009

Our vacation isn't quite over yet but we were trying to make the time pass when we were driving today and so this is what we came up with.

A is for airplane and Atlanta
B is for beach
C is for crabs
D is for docks
E is for eels
F is for fish (lots of pretty ones)
G is for Georgia
H is for holes ( as in the ones the crabs live in and scurry to if you're not fast enough)
I is for Interstate
J is for jelly fish stings
K is for kites
L is for Lobster
M is for Miley Cyrus ( Yep we caught a quick glimpse)
N is for Northwoods golf course
O is for ocean
P is for palm trees and a pretty pier
Q is for quite a few alligators
R is for rivers
S is for sharks, stingray, sand and sunburn
T is for Tybee Island
U is for umbrellas
V is for vests as if life vests
W is for whale shark
X is for extras
Y is for y'all
Z is for ziti

I bet you can't wait for the pictures.

INTRODUCING. . .

Taneah Hope!!!

Today was the big day where Taneah was given our last name. The whole thing was fast and surreal. I can't tell you how good it feels to have it FINAL! Through the ups and downs and round and rounds adoption is a beautiful thing and I can't imagine our family without her!

Due to this great occasion we had to celebrate! It was a great party and a perfect day!

The incredible cake thanks to auntie Jessie. Don't worry Shannon we saved you a piece:)

The puppet show

The water slide!

Tubs of fun!

YEAH!!!

Frozen fudgepops, fireworks and fun

We had a sort of Norman Rockwell Feel to our 4th of July. The town we live in LOVES fireworks and everybody is Bar-B-Qing in thier front yards and having family and friends over. Even though Daddy was busy selling the fireworks we had a great time with the neighbors.
Jonah was Pat's ( our neighbor) right hand man when it came to lighting off the fireworks. Until the big stuff came out then he stayed seated closely to mom.
Yummy!

During the day the kids played in the little pool and ran in the slip and slide. T decided to take a little drink:) I love this shot it sort of captures summer to me.

"han"

This post is not so much about sharing something with you but recording something so I don't forget. Miss T ( Who by the way in a just a few short weeks will be introduced officially here) I just want it to be official:) Anyway, Miss T has a thing with hands. She loves to hold my hand. She holds my hand when she rides in her carseat and she needs to be comforted, we hold hands when we pray. Whenever she's having a hard time she looks up at me with those soulful, coffee colored eyes and says "han" "han" Tonight as I was rocking her to sleep she said "han mommy" I held her hands and she fell esleep.

I love that holding hands brings such comfort to her. What a sweetheart.
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
Psalm 73:23


***Note the beautiful moments captured on this post and the last one are thanks to my sweet sister in law Shannon. Check out more of her beautiful photos at Mirabella Photography. They are 2 different cites.

Lydiaisms

Oh my dear sweet Lydia, if it wasn't for her I would run out of "material" for this blog. Here are a few of her latest.

*Last week we were all in the van going somewhere and Miss T was sick of being in the carseat. Which seems to be her new thing. We think it's ironic since when we first got her we actually went for a drive to get her to sleep. Anyway, she is screaming and whining in the backseat and Aaron says, "Stop screaming! Noone likes a kid screaming in the backseat!" And Lydia pipes in "Yeah, not even God!"

*After soccer practice in the 83 degree heat last night, Lydia says ,"Oh no I"m wet here." As she is touching her temples. "And I'm wet here too!" Touching the other side. I said that's Ok it's sweat, it means you were working hard. Poor girl doesn't remember sweating since it's been 9 months since it was hot enought outside to sweat.

* And my favorite, recently we booked airplane tickets to go back to GA and visit the people who took care of T and have a family vacation. At supper, Jonah was asking all kind of questions about if we could stand on the airplane and where we were staying, and what it would be like. Lydia was listening very intently but not saying much. I was excitetly telling them what it would be like. After a few minutes, Lydia looked up very concerned and asked, "We still get to keep her, right." I assured her that we get to keep her and we are only going for a visit.

Oh how it warms my heart to think of how God has changed the relationship between the girls. Lydia has changed from being the frustrated dethroned princess of the house to being the protective, loving big sister. A role she was born for.

Camping

Nothing says camping fun like a campfire. And fun we had! This weekend God gave us some beautiful weather and we had a great time camping.


This is the honey hole where Jonah fished all morning and caught
this small mouth bass. He also caught a ton of other fish but this was the one he was most proud of.
T caught her first fish. She looks pretty serious here, but when she reeled it in she squealed like a
pig and kept saying "fiss" "fiss"
Camping is always more fun with some friends to catch caterpillers with and have picnics with.
There's something about sleeping under the stars and taking a kid out on a canoe that is good for my soul. I loved being outside all weekend and it was the perfect kickoff to summer.